Airport makeover held hostage by slum rehab

Mumbai: Slum rehabilitation is yet again out to derail the Mumbai airport modernisation. Succumbing to political pressure, cutting across party lines, chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has deferred the plan to raze around 65,000 to 80,000 slums around Chhatrapati Shivaji Domestic Airport. Ironically, the airport expansion and modernisation project is an integral part of Mr Deshmukh’s Mumbai makeover plan.
The Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL), the 74:26 joint venture between the consortium led by GVK group, Airports Company South Africa and Bidvest Group and Airports Authority of India, can lay its hands on 270 acre of land around the airport only after the illegal structures are removed.
The DF government’s policy is a throwback to its 2002 stand on illegal slums around the airport. Mr Deshmukh then had a bright idea of clearing the domestic airport of illegal shanties only to shelve the plan due to BMC elections in February 2002.
Now, Mr Deshmukh wants the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to conduct a survey of all slums, which roughly houses 3.5 lakh people. On demand from all parties, the chief minister on Friday decided to dump an earlier study conducted by a private consultant.
02/04/07 Abhiram Ghadyalpatil/Economic Times

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Categories: Airports Apr 2007